


Family

by suallenparker



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, post 1x19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-30
Updated: 2014-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 09:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1546076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suallenparker/pseuds/suallenparker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coulson shows up at May’s mother’s to make things right with May. - Or the one where he called her mom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

He hoped, Melinda would come back soon.

“So what did you do to my daughter?” asked Agent May – because Melinda’s mother would always be Agent May to him. - That or Ma’am. And now she was staring at him.

Coulson put down his tea cup. It was still too hot to drink anyway. “Excuse me?” They were sitting in Agent May’s kitchen, drinking tea, waiting for Melinda to come home. Agent May had said, she was buying groceries. How strange to imagine her doing such a normal thing. Yet it pleased him. a lot of things pleased him about Melinda May. He just hoped she would be pleased to see him too.

Agent May raised a brow and leaned back in her chair. “She came to me, running from you,” she said sternly. “What did you do, Phil?”

The way the tea twirled in the cup was suddenly fascinating. “She kept something from me,” he said. “I overreacted, she left.” He looked at Agent May. “Now I’m here to get her back.”

“Do you love my daughter?” she asked without blinking.

Yes. He pressed his lips together. “That’s not why I’m here,” he said. “We’re …” He stopped himself. It was complicated. “She’s my best friend.” And that was just the tip of the iceberg.

“So you love her.”

He didn’t dare making any more excuses. It would’ve been pointless anyway.

Agent May’s lips curled into a smile. “Good.”

So what else was there to say?

He heard a car drive up to the house. Agent May straightened up and glanced past him through the window to the front porch.

“It’s her,” she said and stood up. She glared at him. “Don’t you hurt my girl again!”

That made him smile. She loved Melinda too. They had that in common. “I won’t, Ma’am.” Not if he could help it.

The car parked outside.

“I might be retired,” Agent May said, “but if I’d want you dead, you’d be dead.”

“I have no doubt in that, Ma’am.”

“You’re a good man, Phil Coulson,” she said. Her voice was soft now. “I’ll be in my office.” With that she left. Melinda would probably hit him in the gut if he told her how much her mother reminded him of her.

He heard a key turn in its lock. Then footsteps. And Melinda May entered the kitchen, carrying a big paper bag. She stopped as she saw him and an orange fell out of the bag. She caught it and put it back without even looking at it.

“Phil,” she mouthed. She wore black jeans and a black shirt. Her hair was up in a pony tail.

He had missed her so. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?” she asked and started moving again. “How did you find me?”

He swallowed. He wanted to stand up and touch her, but that probably wasn’t wise. “I called your mom.”

“You …?” She was surprised. That didn’t happen often. He smiled.

“There’re not many people you trust,” he explained.

She turned and put the bag on the counter. “I just did what you wanted,” she said and turned back around. “I’m trying to find answers for you.” She leaned against the counter, her hands tightened around the edges of the top.

He sighed. Somehow he had pictured this easier. Somehow he had expected her to smile. But she just stared at him. Everything about her was tense.

“I’m sorry, I yelled at you,” he said. “I didn’t mean it. I was so mad at you.”

She swallowed and pulled her shoulders up. “I know.”

No, she didn’t. It wasn’t just about the truth she kept from him. It was about how often he had thought about kissing her since they started this. It was about her thing with Ward. It was about that he meant a lot to her. A lot. He had obsessed over those words. Obsessed! He had evaluated their meaning, their level of truth. He had replayed that scene in his mind so very often, it felt like something he had imagined. All the while trying to convince himself that this ache in his chest wasn’t a broken heart. He had been jealous and hurt and confused and everything bundled up in anger. How should he explain this?

“I –“ He stopped himself. Not the time for love confessions. “I trusted you most.”

She flinched.

“I trust you still,” he added.

She looked at him with pleading eyes. “I didn’t want to hurt you like I did. I was just scared of losing you again.”

“I know now. I’m not dead.”

“You’re right.”

“I forgive you.”

Her eyes widened.

“You’re the only family I have, Melinda.” That he could admit. It was something she already knew, didn’t she? “You’re the only one who knows me. You’re my best friend.”

She hung her head and sighed, before she looked up again. Finally she smiled. It was a wobbly, but still. It was a start. He wanted to hug her. He wanted to tell her he loved her.

Then she frowned. “Where’s my mother?”

He snorted. “In her office.”

Melinda looked at two cups of tea and the tea pot on the table, as if she’d saw them for the first time. “Did you drink tea with my mother?” Her voice was dangerously low and he couldn’t suppress a grin. She had always been taken aback by how well her mother and he got along.

“She’s a nice lady,” he said.

“She’s terrifying.”

His grin widened as he remembered the earlier conversation. “That too.”

“She always liked you.”

“She has good taste.”

Melinda rolled her eyes and it was perfect. It was normal.

She turned around took two oranges out of the paper bag. “What are you doing here, Phil?”

“Well,” he sighed. “Fitzsimmons and I returned to the compound and everyone was gone, except for Eric, who was dead and Ward had taken Skye because Ward is Hydra and we briefly thought he had killed you, but we couldn’t find your body, so I called your mother and she told me you’re not dead which came as a relief and I need you.” Like word vomit, it all just came out.

She spun back around to face him and an orange fell to the floor. “Ward is Hydra?” Damn, he had wanted to tell her that gently.

“Yes.” He nodded. “I’m sorry. I know you and he were …”

“He kidnapped Skype?” May interrupted. Either she didn’t want to discuss her relationship to Ward, or it didn’t matter to her any longer. He hoped for the latter.

“They’re on the bus,” he said. “Skye could send us a message and destroy the hard drive, before we lost contact. We couldn’t trace them yet.” At least he had been able to find her. They would find Ward and Skye too.

She took a breath. And another one. He waited.

“I tried to find Maria,” she said then.

“Your mother told me.”

“I don’t have any leads at the moment.”

“So you’re free for a rescue mission?”

She raised a brow. “I think mother is upstairs, packing up my things right now.”

“She loves you.” He was so glad she still had someone. Real family. He smiled again. “She threatened me today. Basically, if I ever mess this up, don’t tell your mother because she’ll kill me.” More word vomit. He should be more careful.

“Phil …” Her voice was soft and there was longing in her eyes. He wanted to kiss her.

He stood up.

Agent May waltzed into the kitchen, carrying to black bags and he stopped in his tracks.

“You two done talking?” Agent May asked.

Not really, but he didn’t dare to make an objection.

Melinda blushed and picked up the orange from the floor. “Yes, mum.”

Agent May gestured her daughter to step aside and put down the bags next to the paper one. “Call me,” she said glaring and took the orange from Melinda’s hand. “And Melinda, call me even if you don’t need me to pick you up!”

“Yes, mum.”

“Good.” She glared again, before she turned to him. “Nice seeing you again, Phil.”

o0o

She carried both bags and he didn’t know where to put his hands.

“Where’s Lola?” she asked when they stepped outside. “I didn’t see her parked outside.”

“On the bus.”

“You must be mad.”

“You have no idea.” He reached out a hand and she gave him one of the bags without objection. It felt good to share weight with her again. When he started walking towards a neutral silver pick up, she followed.

He glanced at her as he fished for the keys in his suit jacket. “Can I ask something personal?”

She looked at him and raised a brow.

“You and Ward … Did you love him?”

“No. Did you save Audrey?”

He finally found the remote key and pressed on open. The car beeped twice. It worried him how quickly she had answered that. It worried him how quickly she changed subject. But she deserved an answer too.

“We did,” he said. “I talked to her. She thought I was a hallucination, but I talked to her.”

They stopped at the backside of the car and he opened the trunk. He first put the bag in he had carried, then he relieved Melinda of the second one. Their fingers touched and he thought about how different it was with her. About how much he loved her. He could get over that. He could be her friend. He had been at this point so many times. At least Audrey had loved him back. But Melinda cared. A lot. And he couldn’t let go of that. Not yet. Hope could be a terrible thing.

He closed the trunk with a thud.

“Are you okay?” She sounded worried.

“Yes.” He turned to her. They should get in the car and get going. He stayed right where he was.

“Maybe you should tell her the truth.”

“She’s getting over me, she’ll be happy without me.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine.” He shrugged. “I was just kidding myself before.”

“Don’t say that.” She shook her head. “You’ve got a second chance at life, don’t waste that.”

“I love you.” He couldn’t help it. His heart was pounding. Word vomit again.

“You should tell her that.” she stared at something above his left shoulder and swallowed. “She’ll forgive you. I’m sure.”

He touched her arm. “Melinda, I love you.”

She looked at him, her eyes widened and filled with unshed tears. Her mouth opened and closed, but she didn’t make a sound. A tear rolled down her cheek.

“You’re crying.” He swallowed. “Why are you crying? You never cry.” He reached up and cradled her face in his hand.

“I’m not crying.”

“Gosh, you’re stubborn.” He stroked the tear away with his thumb.

She covered his hand with hers and nuzzled against it. “You love me?”

“Yes.”

She kissed his palm. He brought up his other hand and placed it on her nape. He kissed her and she sighed. He kissed her again and her arms wrapped around his waist. Her lips opened and her tongue traced the seam of his lips. He groaned when their tongues touched. This felt right. This felt perfect.

Then somebody knocked on glass. He blinked. Melinda broke away and took a step back.

“Mom!”

Damn. Agent May stood behind the kitchen window. One brow raised, her hands on her hips. And Melinda was blushing like a teenager. He shouldn’t laugh about this. He really shouldn’t. But he did. Kissing her messed with his brain. He waved at Agent May. Her brow went up higher, then she turned away.

“She knows,” he said, “she knows I love you.” He took her hand and she let it happen. “She made me confess before she allowed me to speak to you.”

Melinda squeezed his hand. “I love you too.”

He smiled the stupidest smile.

She kissed him hastily before she let go and got in the car.

Hydra was still a threat. Ward and Skye were still gone and their lives were generally in danger, but he felt happy. Melinda loved him too. And hope could be a strong alliance.

 


End file.
